Community

Jeri Kievlan is the founder and head coach of the Santa Cruz Mountains Renegades, a competitive youth fastpitch softball program in Santa Cruz County. The program was created by Kievlan to provide a year-round feeder program for girls 12 and under to develop their skills...

For the last few years before the Santa Cruz Bonsai Kai club has its annual show I've been honored to visit one of the members for a tour of their personal bonsai collection. Last year, I viewed Marc Shaw's collection in Ben Lomond. Marc is currently serving as president of the club. The year before, I visited former president Ron Anderson's home in Boulder Creek. Both wowed me with their talent creating such amazing specimens.

 There is so much clean up to do around the garden in the fall but I think we should all do something fun. A couple years ago I got an email about when to plant sweet peas. This reader had collected seeds from the wild pea, lathyrus latifolia, and wanted to know when to plant them. Although the flowers of this perennial sweet pea are not fragrant, the culture is the same as all sweet peas. Now’s the time to plant.

After a decade of service as the executive director of Valley Churches United, Lynn Robinson has announced that she will be retiring from that position this fall. During her tenure at the nonprofit year-round food pantry, Robinson valued the very important work of providing support...

The other day I stopped by historic Gamble Gardens in Palo Alto. I had some free time before my eye appointment and Sherman, my dog, wanted to stretch his legs. You can mark time with the events in the botanical world and this garden is packed with good examples. School kids were tending the vegetable starts and beneficial-friendly flower beds. Volunteers were looking after the formal rose garden and tulip beds. Visitors like me and Sherman just wanted to take in all the early spring beauty.

I get a lot of calls from homeowners who need help seeing their property through new eyes. Maybe they've lived there for a long time but the landscaping needs an update. Or maybe they're just moving in and the landscaping has been neglected for a while. Whatever the reason, there are techniques I use to bring out the best in a space.

If you have ever been sent on a Snipe hunt, the corners of your mouth might be turning up as you recall having the “snipe hunt” prank pulled on you. If that experience sounds familiar, then you might be surprised to learn that, according California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Snipe season opens in California on October 17 and runs until January 31, 2016.

Dealing with one of the worst droughts on record and then the largest, most destructive wildfires in California’s history, the Secretary of California’s Natural Resources Agency has his hands full. The Natural Resource Agency is a sprawling, cabinet-level state agency overseeing and coordinating 25 different departments, from Cal Fire to the Department of Water Resources with a lot to coordinate over the last several years. 

It's not just another garden show, it's the world-renowned San Francisco Flower and Garden show — and it was the perfect start to spring at the end of March.